


Rimewind

by zahhisio



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, FEH Flora is Birthright Flora, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Maids, Second Chances, Slow Burn, Trauma, named summoner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23983912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zahhisio/pseuds/zahhisio
Summary: Whisked away to the mystical land of Askr, Flora would have become accustomed to living there, were it not for the ghosts of the past that kept haunting her.With the second chance bestowed upon her, as well as someone new and precious to her, will she be able to let go of them?
Relationships: Flora/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

“I have been expecting you, Miss Flora.”

The Summoner’s office appeared to be as normal as it got. A bookcase filled with books that had words such as ‘strategy’ and ‘records’ inscribed on their spines stood in the corner of the room, right next to a comfy-looking couch. An empty table occupied the opposite side of the room, next to a wooden door. A desk made of oak was put near the middle of the room, overlooked by two large windows which curtains barely hid the light sneaking from the outside.

On the chair by the desk sat a man around her age, sporting a messy black hair and an ornamental robe made up of white and gold. His sharp gaze struck Flora as soon as she entered the room, unnerving her slightly and making her stammer. She pointed at herself and muttered, “M-me?”

Suddenly, the Summoner chortled, undoubtedly amused from slightly messing with her. Still unsure of how to react, she remained silent as his laugh slowly died down. “Just kidding!” he said, happy tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “I wanted to say that line at least once, and I finally have the chance!”

Flora tilted her head and stared at him quizzically. “Um… I’m not sure if I get it, but I’m happy for you, Sir…?”

It was then that it occurred to her that she did not know his name. How foolish of her! At the very least, she could have asked the Commander who escorted her to the room. With no name to call the man by, her words trailed off. Then, as if he picked up on her lack of knowledge, the Summoner suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh, that’s right!” He spread out his arms, making elaborate gestures as he introduced himself. “Leona, the Radiant Dawn. Icarus, the Phoenix. You mix them together, and you have me, Leorus! The Summoner of the Order of Heroes!” 

The man who just introduced himself as Leorus ended his extravagant introduction with an arm stretched towards Flora. “Pleased to meet you,” he beamed at her and gestured for a handshake.

Flora was left speechless.

She knew what a title like ‘Radiant Dawn’ entailed, and as for the ‘phoenix’, she was familiar to the mythical creature from her childhood stories. Both embody the sun in one way or another - and with the way he had been acting, Sir Leorus might as well be the sun personified. His seemingly perpetual smile warmed Flora’s heart, lulling her into a sense of security that made her lax.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Leorus,” Flora said as she returned his gesture. His grip had both strength and gentleness in it. While she had never interacted with that many people during her stay in the Northern Fortress, something inside Flora - her gut feeling, mayhaps - told her that he would be a good liege for her to serve.

Then again, she would have settled with anyone as long as it was not  _ him _ .

Perhaps she just got lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before certain real-life events solidified Lucina's place as my one true FE waifu, I've had several others before her - Flora being one of them. To be frank, I find her character development in any of the Fates games very underwhelming no thanks to her minimal screen-time and her terrible fate. It does not help that in her FEH incarnation she seems to be pining for the Summoner now...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flora had an unpleasant encounter that brought up her past in the middle of her day-to-day routine.

A maid’s day begins earlier than anybody else in the castle. Waking up when the sunlight barely reached her room, her first task is the preparation of breakfast and clothes and anything her master needs to get through their morning. If needed, she will accompany her master through their activities as well, ensuring that the master has anything he needs. This will go on until evening, and stops when and only when the master dismisses the maid.

Years of servitude in the Northern Fortress ensured that that very schedule had ingrained itself into Flora’s mind. Even after she was whisked into the lands of Askr, she kept following the routine to a tee with one huge difference: she was assigned to serve someone else.

While her arrival and her meeting with him were abrupt, it did not take long for her to feel at ease. The Summoner, equally cheerful as he was devoted to his post, was clearly not used to having a maid - their first days together were filled with her not having anything to do because he was so used to finishing his tasks alone, even if it meant burning the midnight oil. As time went by and her performance began to speak for itself, he had grown more lax at having his workload reduced by her.

The presence of a daily routine for Flora to dedicate herself to was enough to convince her to stay in Askr.

Her day began with her sweeping the halls leading to the Summoner’s office, the break of dawn her only source of illumination after she made sure to extinguish all the torches she met along the way. After she was done with that, she would pull out a keyring and deftly shuffle through the keys on it, choosing one that was golden-plated to unlock the office's door with.

The door swung open, revealing a sight that she had grown accustomed to: a stack of reports that needed sorting and compiling. Flora sighed and hung down her head in frustration. Despite her incessant chiding, Commander Anna never got around filing them neatly before dropping them on the work desk. She had to be the one to do so in Anna's stead. Not that she hated it - she appreciated any and all work that she could do during her days, but would it kill for the Commander to be a little bit more responsible?

She set to work as soon as possible, neatly grouping and arranging the stacks of reports on the desk for the Summoner’s convenience. Once the task was done, she steeled herself for the most arduous of them all: waking the Summoner up.

“I’m coming in.”

Three taps on the door and her voice yielded no response. She twisted the doorknob a bit, jumping up in surprise when the door gave way to her push.

The room was dark, with little to no light coming from the inside - even the lamps set on each side of the bed were left without a flame in them. The only source of illumination were the rays of sun seeping through the window panes. A wardrobe and a dresser occupied most of the room’s space, giving off the impression that the room felt smaller than it actually was.

Flora hurried over to the side of the bed and found the Summoner with his eyes closed, peacefully sleeping without a care in the world. His black hair, normally arranged in a deliberately messy style, turned even more monstrous no thanks to bed hair; his cheek inflated and deflated along with his breathing.

While she was never below disturbing someone’s good sleep, the situation called for it; he was _the_ Summoner, after all. She gathered chilly air on her fingertips and poked his cheek a few times. 

His skin felt soft to the touch. She almost fell to the temptation of playing with his cheek, but his wincing and rolling around denied her the opportunity. The not-so-gentle awakening made him let out a lengthy groan before he opened his eyes. Flora beamed at him, exchanging stares with those brown eyes of his. “Good morning, Sir Leorus. Your paperwork is already waiting on your desk.”

“Hng… Morning, Flora. ” Leorus got up and sat on his bed, then stretched his hands upwards. “Is breakfast ready?”

“I’ll prepare them as soon as I can. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll wait outside while you change your clothes.”

“Sure thing.”

Flora bobbed a curtsy at him and walked outside, leaving him to his own devices as she went to prepare breakfast.

* * *

A slice of ham-and-egg sandwich, with its egg poached and its ham medium rare.

A cup of black tea, unsugared and warm. 

Those two made up the set of breakfast that had become Leorus’ reliable companion through the morning, as well as one that Flora grew accustomed to making. Her duty demanded that she be sensitive to her liege’s preferences, pushing her to remember the minute details that came with a simple breakfast. His satisfied look as he ate and drank everything she prepared on the first day of her duty was enough of a praise for her, albeit a silent one.

That morning was no different. As the fragrance and warmth of the black tea she prepared beforehand started to pervade the room, she picked up a batch of reports from the desk and handed it to Leorus, prompting him to put down his sandwich.

“Here are reports detailing the inventory from the Order’s coffers, and here are the results of training exercises for the cavalry team…” 

Though it was but a matter of correctly grouping one paper with others of its kin, Flora cut no corners. She would make sure that every report flowed nicely into the next one, their chain of information unbroken by misplacement or such. After giving them to him she would then stand by his side, sharing his delight and his grimace as he flipped through the bundle of reports.

Observing him had become the way to get her through the morning. He always made the most ridiculous of faces, exaggerating his frowning or facepalming or smiling as if he meant to entertain the maid sitting next to him. If it was his intention, it worked very well for her.

Noticing that he had no more paper on his hand, she handed over the last of the reports. “These ones are reports pertaining to the equipment the Heroes use,” told her. Within minutes,he skimmed through it before placing it on his right side, seemingly not intent on seeing it anymore. He let out a sigh of relief and stared at her. 

“Splendid and tidy as always,” Leorus praised. “Thanks a lot for this, Flora.”

“I aim to please.”

Days spent with him taught her that he was a person that was generous with his praises. She had lost count of the number of times he’d commend her over the simplest tasks; even then, his words never lost their weight, and she never failed to crack a smile or two from his compliments.

“Hah! You certainly succeeded in that,” said him. He picked up his neglected sandwich and started biting it again. “I’m not sure what I’ll do without you, sometimes. However…” 

After gulping down the last bits of his breakfast, he got up and tapped Flora on the head lightly with his knuckles, crumbs of bread falling down as he did so. 

“Just don’t overdo it, okay?” He warned her. “That’s a request not as your liege, but as your friend.”

 _Oh,_ _Sir Leorus_ _, your kindness is wasted upon me._ Being a maid was the only thing she could accomplish. What good would she be if she did not give it her all in doing so?

“I’m honored for you to think of me that way,” Flora said, bowing slightly, “but I assure you I am fine with daily tasks like this. A maid has to maintain vigor in her routine, or else she’d lose her purpose.”

She peeked upwards and found him left unsatisfactory from her answer. He questioned her with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised at her, his accent surfacing momentarily. “ _What talking you?_ You’re no mere maid! You’re a Hero! You’re destined for more than this, I’m sure.”

“I’m afraid I can’t accept that compliment, Sir Leorus.”

“Eh? Why?”

After everything that happened in Nohr that day, the title ‘Hero’ was never meant for her. But he did not need to know that yet, and so she answered his question with silence. Before he could press on further, a knocking at the door interrupted him. 

“Oh!” He turned towards the sound and yelled, “Is that Kamui? Come in!”

Flora thanked the stars for the timely interruption. Her gratitude lasted short, however, for the ones who entered were those she did not want to meet anytime soon.

“Good morning, Leorus. Good morning, Flora.”

Flora offered a brief bow as a reply. Corrin looked the same as always - blood-red eyes, wavy white hair, and sharp teeth that he shaped into a smile to greet her and the Summoner. From behind him, Felicia walked out and greeted the Summoner. “Morning, Sir Leorus!” She was chipper as usual, never failing to amuse the people around her through the way she carried herself. Were it not for the maid’s standard uniform she wore almost all the time, one would easily mistake her for Corrin’s friend or spouse.

With a spring in her step, Felicia bounced towards Flora, giggling as she put her face close to her sister’s. “And a good morning to you too!” she bubbled.

“Good morning, Felicia.”

In contrast to her lively sister, she kept her reply as brief as she could. She glanced away as well, unwilling to look at Felicia, who put up a confused look as she stubbornly tried to make eye contact with her. Her heart started beating faster and her expression stiffened. Felicia was too close for comfort; her innocent, clueless smile dredged up old memories, each of them too painful for her to recall. Unwilling to be overwrought with them furthermore, she snuck out a hand and tugged Leorus’ cloak by his shoulder.

“Sir Leorus,” she called out to him. He took notice of her right away and turned to her. 

“Uh huh?”

“I’m afraid I have to excuse myself for the time being,” stumbled her as she paused, attempting to calm herself down, and continued, “I need to check on the ingredients for today’s lunch.”

Though confused by her sudden request, he paid no mind to it. “Sure thing,” he answered briefly.

“If you’ll excuse me, then.” As soon as she obtained his approval, she marched out of the room. Her eyes bored into the sky outside as she ignored Corrin’s and Felicia’s calls to her.

The moment the door closed with a click, Corrin stomped towards Felicia. “Felicia, did anything happen between you and Flora?” he asked her.

“I don’t know!” Felicia shook her head, flailing her ponytail all around before her expression turned sullen. “She just looks so… distant. Do you know anything about this, Sir Leorus?”

Leorus shook his head as well. “Nah. I wonder what happened to her…,” his voice trailed off as he mused.

* * *

Driven by only the wish to get away from her former liege as soon as possible, Flora found herself standing in front of the kitchen. 

The maid was no stranger to the place nor kitchen duty. The Commander ensured that she knew her way around the plethora of cupboards and tools on the very first day that she arrived in Askr. Since then, it had become her second abode, with the ladles hung above the counters and the curious birds that perched by the window sills as her silent spectators.

It did not take a scholar to conclude that the kitchen was more well-equipped than the one in the Northern Fortress, too; Askr, unlike Nohr, was prosperous and blessed with the land’s bounty. Grateful for that fact, Flora began to work with the ingredients she had taken.

The sound of a knife hitting the wooden chopping board warded off the silence in the air, replacing the birds that were peculiarly absent that day. Gradually, she tuned out the rhythmical voice, filling her thoughts with the earlier encounter instead.

It did not work. Every time she thought of either Corrin or Felicia, the ones from memories of that fateful night took their places instead.

“Somebody help! Put out the fire!”

“Flora, no! You can't die like this!”

The raging blizzard did little to obscure their fraught shrieks that were spurred by the tongues of flame that enveloped her body. Even near death, they never thought ill of her even once. But she was beyond redemption, and were it not for her being summoned she would have received her just desserts-

“Ouch!”

Distracted by her own dark thoughts, her finger was cut by the knife she was using, leaving a shallow wound on Flora’s finger that quickly started leaking out blood. The wind seeping from outside and blowing on her wound made her hiss in irritation. She hurried and looked around for something, anything that could close her wound, but was interrupted by the door’s creak.

“Flora, where are-” Leorus’ words halted as soon as he saw her clutching her wounded finger. “By the gods! What happened?” He yelled at her as he took a closer look at the gash.

“It was simply an accident, Sir Leorus,” answered her, her voice kept as calm as possible. If he knew what made her commit such a silly mistake, she’d have nowhere to go anymore. “I’ll continue preparing the food right away.”

“Yeah right, you are!” 

The sight of a wound on her must have agitated him. Without another word, he hurried to a cupboard and opened it, revealing a roll of bandage that he must have kept there for cases like hers. He unrolled a part of the bandage, ripped it off and quickly wrapped her wound with it. While the blood slowly seeped through the wrap’s inner-most part, tinting the bandage red, he wagged his finger at and chided her. “The shallowest wounds are often the nastiest,” he said. “I’ll do the cooking. You go and rest over there.”

“But, I…”

“No buts.”

It was the closest he ever came to telling her off.

“Understood,” Flora muttered and shuffled towards the nearest seat as Leorus took off his cloak and wrapped it around his waist. He began working on the potatoes, dicing them into finely sized blocks meticulously and carefully.

She glanced at her bandaged finger - the red stain seemed to stop spreading, and the wound did not seem to sting as much as when it was fresh. The way he tightly wrapped the bandage around her finger, taking care to leave a room for her blood to flow, reminded her of the days spent at the Northern Fortress. Back in those days, it was Felicia, her sister...

 _No, I can’t call her that anymore_. She lost the right to call her as such the moment she drew her dagger and pointed it at her, under the azure night sky and falling snow. Her village and her might as well be Garon’s puppets by then, but it was still no excuse for her - she was simply not powerful enough to break free from Garon’s vice nor defend the village she was meant to lead. She had one task, and she failed. If only she had Felicia’s strength, she would not have needed to die in the fire’s embrace.

She snuck a glance at Leorus again. Having finished quartering the potatoes, he moved on to the beef she had prepared beforehand. He would hum one of the multitude of songs she heard him hum during the daily report assessment as he picked up the slab of meat and appraised it, his lack of experience showing through his furrowed eyebrows and confused stare. Occasionally, he would notice Flora staring at him, and would flash a peace sign and a goofy grin at her before continuing his work on the meat.

Leorus reminded her of Corrin too much. The resolve to bring peace, the casual attitude, the friendly way he presented himself to the Heroes and her; she was certain that appearance was the only thing stopping him from being the second little prince. But he was not the person whose expectations and trust she had betrayed, and that was enough to make her stay by his side. At least, as long as she could, before he realized what a vile human she was and discarded her.

A part of her wished that days like that would go on forever. Another part knew that it would never be the case. For whatever time she had left, however, she vowed to remain by Leorus’ side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic will try to expand on her characterization by going through the headcanon that the Flora in FEH is the same Flora who met her demise in Birthright, therefore following the same vein as e.g. Sigurd (who was apparently from after he was BBQ'd by Arvis in Belhalla). I hope that I can do her character justice!
> 
> *"What talking you?" means "What are you talking about?"... only in Singlish (Singaporean English).


End file.
